European

[ yoor-uh-pee-uhn, yur- ]

/ ˌyʊər əˈpi ən, ˌyɜr- /

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adjective

of or relating to Europe or its inhabitants.

native to or derived from Europe: traditional European customs; European languages.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Europe.

a person of European descent.

(in East Africa and Asia) a white person; Caucasian.

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Origin of European

1595–1605; <Latin Eurōpae(us) (see Europe, -eous) + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM European

Eu·ro·pe·an·ly, adverban·ti-Eu·ro·pe·an, adjective, nounin·ter-Eu·ro·pe·an, adjectivenon-Eu·ro·pe·an, adjective, noun

pro-Eu·ro·pe·an, adjective, nounpseu·do-Eu·ro·pe·an, adjective, nounun-Eu·ro·pe·an, adjective

Words nearby European

Euronext, euronote, Europa, Europatent, Europe, European, European Atomic Energy Community, European beech, European Central Bank, European chafer, European Coal and Steel Community

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use European in a sentence

There are reasons that European countries tend to avoid fluoride.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
We do see that a few European countries have them on the books: Germany, Poland, Italy, Ireland, a couple more.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In front of this strange structure are two blank-faced, well-dressed models showing off the latest in European minimalism.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But outside of a few European countries and Quebec, this leave is usually two weeks or less and usually unpaid.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Those who served abroad were treated with suspicion that they had been infected by European diplomacy.
U.S. Embassies Have Always Been for Sale|William O’Connor|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We can readily see how this might have been, from numerous experiments made with both American and European varieties.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
European tobacco is lacking in flavor and is less powerful than the tobacco of America.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
These shipments in the past have been financed through credits drawn on European centers.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
The flower stems on the American varieties are much longer than those of European tobaccos and also larger.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Hence it was that he found in Great Britain an implacable enemy ever stirring up against him European coalitions.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison

British Dictionary definitions for European

European

/ (ˌjʊərəˈpɪən) /

adjective

of or relating to Europe or its inhabitants

native to or derived from Europe

noun

a native or inhabitant of Europe

a person of European descent

a supporter of the European Union or of political union of the countries of Europe or a part of it

Derived forms of European

Europeanism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012